Keep The Home Fires Burning
by NAB
Summary: Jarod attempts to bring Quinn Sliders back home. Miss Parker intervenes causing them all to get lost
1. Default Chapter

SLIDERS/THE PRETENDER

  
  


Disclaimer

  
  


This is an Alternative Fourth Season of Sliders which also involves characters from The Pretender. I do not own the copyright to the characters of the above shows and am borrowing them from their owners without any intention of making a profit. Please feel free to comment on the story below. However, constructive criticism only. Flames will not be appreciated or helpful.

  
  


Footnote

  
  


This is Episode One of an imaginary Fourth Season of Sliders. I like a lot of you was not happy with the way Sliders went after the end of season three. This is my answer. I hope you enjoy it.

  
  


SLIDERS - THE ALTERNATIVE FOURTH SEASON

  
  


4:01 - Keep The Home Fires Burning (Part One)

  
  


Ten Days Before 

  
  


Amanda Mallory sat alone in her front room. On the mantelpiece in front of her was the picture of Quinn that she most cherished, a picture of him on his sixteenth birthday with Wade Wells mucking around with water. Every so often she would go over to the mantelpiece, pick up the picture and just look at it as if the action would bring him home again. She got from the seat, picked up the picture and returned to the seat to look at it. It had been four years since he disappeared. She still didn't understand how. One of his scientific experiments went wrong, so the experts told her. Then, very briefly, two months ago, he came back. Not with one of the people he disappeared with, but with a military looking woman whom he called Maggie Beckett. She got sick and he had to rush her to hospital. Then he disappeared again, down a vortex that he opened using some sort of timer. He promised that he would be back and that they would be together. The sound of a door bell broke her reverie. She got up, replaced the photograph, and headed down the hall to the front door. The opening of the door revealed a handsome looking man in his thirties. He had dark hair and was wearing a dark suit, in his hand was a matching briefcase. He produced a warrant card and showed it to her.

  
  


"Mrs Mallory, my name is Jarod Malone, I'm with the FBI."

  
  


Amanda looked at this newcomer quizzically. She had seen all the suits from Federal to Military, but nobody like this.

  
  


"How can I help you?" She asked.

  
  


"I'm hoping to be able to help you," Agent Malone said "I might be able to get your son and his friends back."

  
  


Suddenly Amanda Mallory was interested. She allowed the man to enter her home. He was hesitant at first, not wanting to intrude. However, the renewed hope in Amanda's eyes was the invitation that he needed to come in.

  
  


"Can I see your son's laboratory?" 

  
  


Amanda looked at Jarod suspiciously. The FBI had taken pictures of the lab from wall to wall, they combed every nook and cranny looking for clues as to what could have happened. Surely, he had seen the pictures.

  
  


"Yes, I have seen the pictures," Jarod said in answer to her unasked question "But, I need to have a look for myself, to get a feel of the place."

  
  


Amanda nodded and disappeared into the front room for a moment to get a set of keys. She went down a small flight of stairs to the door that lead to the basement. She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. She hadn't opened this in two months, ever since Quinn and the Beckett woman arrived.

  
  


"I can take it from here if you like," Jarod said.

  
  


"No, I'd better come with you."

  
  


Jarod smiled.

  
  


"Of course," He said.

  
  


She unlocked the door and opened it. She reached in and switched on the light which revealed a dusty old basement. Most of Quinn's equipment was still there. Some had been taken away for analysis by the boffins. The two of them walked down the stairs and started to take off dust sheets. Jarod opened his briefcase and produced a red notebook which he opened. Amanda could see that there were indeed pictures of her son's laboratory.

  
  


"Have you any idea what he was working on?"

  
  


"No idea what so ever," Amanda said truthfully "What he was doing took a great deal of power."

  
  


"Based on?"

  
  


"The electricity bills, the blackouts."

  
  


Jarod smiled

  
  


"Of course."

  
  


"You said you might be able to help get Quinn and his friends back," Amanda said "How?" 

  
  


"With your permission, I would like to try and recreate the experiment that your son was conducting when he disappeared."

  
  


Amanda looked at Jarod doubtfully.

  
  


"You can do that."

  
  


"I've studied his notes," Jarod said "I've watched the videotapes that he made leading up to that day. I'm convinced that I can recreate the exact conditions that led to your son's disappearance. However, if you don't want me to do so, I will understand."

  
  


"Do you have your bureau's permission to do this?"

  
  


"No," Jarod answered "In fact they think I'm on an extended vacation. I'm going way out on a limb on this. Which is why secrecy is important."

  
  


Again Amanda looked doubtful. His eyes suggested that he was genuine as did his whole manner. However, did the FBI employ quantum physicists? Every instinct told her that she should check him out. However, something told her to trust him.

  
  


"Where are you staying?"

  
  


"The Dominion."

  
  


Amanda took another deep breath and thought about the neighbours.

  
  


"It might be better if you stayed here," She said.

  
  


Jarod took Amanda's hand.

  
  


"Thank you, and don't worry, I will make every effort to bring your son home."

  
  


A Week Later

  
  


Jarod sat back and looked at the remains of the ball that had returned. It was a charred mess. He looked at the photograph of the equation he had acquired from a friend of his in the FBI and frowned.

  
  


"Come on, Quinn, talk to me, how did you do it?"

  
  


He looked around the new laboratory. He had spent thousands on equipment that exactly recreated Quinn's lab. Some parts were so rare that Jarod wondered where he got them from. He had even gone to Quinn's college to make enquiries there. Quinn had borrowed some equipment, which didn't go down well with the college authorities. However, every single withdrawal had Maximilian Arturo's blessing. Some genuine, some probably forged, but all of them accepted.

  
  


"I'm not sure I should be doing this," A very pretty lab technician told him when he tried to acquire the same equipment.

  
  


"I could make this official if you like," Jarod said "However, I would prefer to get Quinn and Professor Arturo back without any publicity. I think you understand why."

  
  


The Technician nodded. She had only just arrived when Arturo and Quinn went missing. However, she remembered there was a hell of a stink which went on for ages. To get Quinn and Arturo back would be not only a relief but a benefit, and to do it quietly would be even better.

  
  


"Have you thought about talking to Conrad Bennish?"

  
  


Jarod looked at her quizzically.

  
  


"He was in the same class as Quinn," the Technician said "They were friends."

  
  


"Might be a help," Jarod agreed "Have you got an address?"

  
  


"I can get it," She said.

  
  


"That would be helpful," Jarod said.

  
  


The technician smiled and nodded.

  
  


The Centre - Blue Cove, Delaware

  
  


Sydney Green sat in front of a slightly agitated Miss Parker. They were trying yet again to access Miss Parker's powers of sixth sense and was making some headway. She had already foreseen the interruption by Mr Lyle which set the experiment back hours. He had been looking for a progress report on the search for Jarod and she had told him that he would get the information if and when she finds it. In other words, she had told Lyle, in typical Parker fashion, to get lost. At this present moment, something was disturbing Miss Parker and he needed to know what it was

  
  


"What can you see?"

  
  


"Jarod," Miss Parker said "He's surrounded by Ape like creatures, they are shooting at him."

  
  


Broots chose that moment to enter and tried to interrupt. Sydney angrily held his finger to his mouth and Broots backed off.

  
  


"Where?"

  
  


"I don't know," Miss Parker answered "It looks like San Francisco, but it's not like any San Francisco I've ever seen."

  
  


"Describe what you're seeing." 

  
  


"A room, looks like an attic in some very old building," Miss Parker struggled to see "Apes wearing uniforms, and I mean Apes."

  
  


"Go on."

  
  


"Two women are helping Jarod to escape, one is a red-head, the other has light brown hair. They are drawing fire away from him. Jarod takes out what looks like a remote control, he aims it at something and presses a button," Miss Parker's eyes shot open "What the hell was that?"

  
  


"Tell me what you're seeing," Sydney said waving down Broots.

  
  


"A tunnel with bright lights, some sort of vortex, he's jumping into it. The vortex is closing," Miss Parker woke up properly "It's gone. Damn it! It's gone."

  
  


Sydney held Miss Parker's shoulders and kept on holding her until she started to breathe normally. She took out a cigarette, lit it and took a drag.

  
  


"Where the hell did that come from?"

  
  


"Some sort of premonition," Sydney suggested "You're already linked in some way to Jarod, maybe this is some way of telling us where he is."

  
  


"He's in San Francisco," Broots answered.

  
  


Both Parker and Sydney looked at him.

  
  


"A guy has been buying some expensive electronic equipment over the last week," Broots explained "He's charging it to us."

  
  


Sydney burst into laughter.

  
  


"That's Jarod all right," He said.

  
  


Miss Parker was on her feet.

  
  


"Come on, you two, we have a plane to catch."

  
  


Conrad Bennish's Home

  
  


From the moment Jarod entered Conrad Bennish's home, he could see that he was a free spirit. He certainly would not have conformed to anything that the Centre might have done and that endeared Jarod to the guy. They talked about the events that lead up to Quinn's disappearance in a hope that it might entice other vital information out of him.

  
  


"He really freaked the Professor out," Bennish told Jarod.

  
  


"In what way?"

  
  


"He virtually told him that one of his theories was a joke," Bennish almost laughed as he said that "Arturo saw red and stormed out of the lecture room."

  
  


"This was a couple of days before the disappearance?"

  
  


"Correct, Man," Bennish said "Quinn was cool that day."

  
  


"So why did Arturo go around to his home on the night they disappeared?"

  
  


"Wade had persuaded the Professor that he didn't mean what he said, that it wasn't Quinn talking."

  
  


"Wade Wells?"

  
  


"Correct."

  
  


"Did you talk about any experiments concerning the Einstein, Rosen, Podalsky Bridge?" Jarod asked.

  
  


"He was always on about it, man," Bennish answered "He was always claiming that he was so close to creating the bridge."

  
  


"Did you believe him?"

  
  


"I didn't then, but I do now."

  
  


"Why?"

  
  


"Because that's where he's gone," Bennish said "He, Professor Arturo, that chick Wade and that singer Rembrandt Brown are all in another dimension."

  
  


Jarod thought for a moment. Somehow that confirmed his suspicions. Jarod was now sure that Conrad Bennish could help him.

  
  


"Did you know that Quinn came back?"

  
  


Bennish looked at him as if he had come out of a lunatic asylum.

  
  


"No way."

  
  


"He did," Jarod said "Two months ago, with a woman called Maggie Beckett. You didn't know about it?"

  
  


"No way, man."

  
  


Bennish whistled at the thought.

  
  


"Why did he go back?"

  
  


"I'm not a hundred per cent sure, I'll be sure ask him when I find him."

  
  


"Find him?"

  
  


"Didn't I tell you," Jarod smiled "I'm recreating his attempt to form the Einstein, Rosen, Podalsky Bridge. I was hoping that you might help me find the missing element."

  
  


Bennish sat back and took a deep breath. Jarod could see that it was a bolt from the blue.

  
  


"It would be an honour," Bennish said. 

  
  


Quinn's Home

  
  


"Far out, Man!" 

  
  


Bennish was almost gob-smacked when he first saw what Jarod had done to his friends laboratory. He crossed over to the equations to the blackboard and looked at it in awe.

  
  


"He wasn't kidding," Bennish said "He was that close to success."

  
  


"From what I can see, yes," Jarod said "There's something missing, but, I can't see what it is. I was hoping you would have the answer."

  
  


"I'm good, but I'm not that good," Bennish said "Maybe in a couple of months."

  
  


"I don't think we have a couple of months," Jarod said "I'm against the clock."

  
  


"Because your people will find out and tell you to stop?"

  
  


"My people will find out and take over," Jarod said "They've tried for three years to recreate what Quinn did. If they find this, we will not be able to stop them from corrupting our data. The result could be catastrophic."

  
  


"They would be creating their own bridge."

  
  


"Precisely."

  
  


"And creating chaos?"

  
  


"Possibly," Jarod said "I don't want to be in a position to find out."

  
  


Bennish reflected at the picture that Jarod was painting. It wasn't pretty.

  
  


"Why do you want to find it?" Bennish asked.

  
  


"To find Quinn, Wade, Rembrandt Brown and Professor Arturo."

  
  


"And this Maggie Beckett?" 

  
  


Jarod nodded.

  
  


"And?"

  
  


"And what?"

  
  


"Come on, Man," Bennish said "I may look like a hippy, but I wasn't born yesterday. You have another reason for wanting to build this bridge."

  
  


"I do," Jarod said.

  
  


"What is it?"

  
  


"I can't tell you, it wouldn't be safe for you."

  
  


"Top secret."

  
  


Jarod smiled.

  
  


"You could say that," He said "All I can tell you is that if a woman by the name of Miss Parker comes to visit you, I need to know immediately."

  
  


It was Bennish's turn to smile.

  
  


"You're trying to escape a paternity suit."

  
  


Jarod's smile broadened but he said nothing.

  
  


"That's it, isn't it?" Bennish said "This broad is after your money and you hope to escape by going into another dimension."

  
  


"Can we get to work please, we don't have a lot of time."

  
  


Bennish smirked.

  
  


"Of course," He said with a wink.

  
  


Jarod sighed and sat down in a chair.

  
  


The Dominion Hotel

  
  


Broots walked up to Miss Parker who was dressed in her mauve short skirt suit. The one that made men pant at the sight of those long slim legs that protruded from that skirt. It had that effect on Broots anyway.

  
  


"Well," Miss Parker asked.

  
  


"Yes," Broots said "There was a Jarod Malone booked in a week ago, he booked out a day after he arrived claiming that he had found somewhere to stay."

  
  


"Did the clerk say where?"

  
  


Broots shook his head.

  
  


"Damn!" Miss Parker snapped.

  
  


"But he did ask for directions to this college," Broots said showing Miss Parker the paper that the clerk had scribbled on.

  
  


Sydney looked at the paper.

  
  


"I know where that is," He said "I was there attending a lecture given by a Professor Maximilian Arturo."

  
  


"The one who disappeared four years ago?" Broots asked.

  
  


A grin formed on Miss Parker's face.

  
  


"Broots, book us in," She said "Then continue tracking any purchase Jarod Malone made in the last week."

  
  


"Where will you be?"

  
  


"Sydney and I will be going to this college."

  
  


Broots looked into Miss Parker's eyes and saw that she had or was on the verge of working out what Jarod was doing here.

  
  


Quinn's Home

  
  


Jarod and Bennish looked at the final part of the equation that Bennish had written on the board. Amanda had joined them on Jarod's request.

  
  


"Are you sure that's correct?" Amanda said.

  
  


"Not one hundred per cent sure, no," Jarod answered.

  
  


"But it's pretty close," Bennish said "It's the only answer that makes sense."

  
  


"We'll know in thirty seconds," Jarod said.

  
  


"How?"

  
  


"Jarod and I sent an object down the Einstein, Rosen, Podalsky Bridge."

  
  


"The what?"

  
  


Jarod sat Amanda down.

  
  


"It's what your son was working on," Jarod said gently "It's a bridge between dimensions if you like."

  
  


"Dimensions?"

  
  


"Einstein suggested that this is not the only dimension," Jarod said "There are other dimensions where things happen differently."

  
  


"Like a dimension where Black Sabbath never split up," Bennish said.

  
  


"Or a place where the Atom Bomb was never created or when the Russians invaded the United States or Germany won the Second World War," Jarod added with a small glance at Bennish. 

  
  


"Or when the Festival of Love became an on-going event," Bennish added.

  
  


Jarod shrugged at the suggestion and saw that Amanda was starting to understand.

  
  


"And my son, Wade, Mr Arturo and Mr Brown could be in one of those dimensions?"

  
  


"That would be my guess, yes," Jarod answered.

  
  


"Jarod," Bennish said pointing to his watch.

  
  


"I suggest that you hang onto something, Mrs Mallory," Jarod said.

  
  


Bennish counted down using his fingers and both Jarod and Amanda gripped tightly onto something solid. On one the vortex, a mass of swirling lights and colours, exploded onto the seen causing a massive disturbance in the room. An object, a small baseball, emerged from the centre and dropped at Jarod's feet. The vortex closed.

  
  


"Wow," Bennish said "That's like, intense."

  
  


"You can say that again," Amanda said, her mouth still open with the shock of what had just happened.

  
  


Jarod picked up the baseball and smiled. He tossed it to Bennish who caught it with ill-grace, smiling as he did so.

  
  


"It worked," Bennish said "It damned well worked."

  
  


"There's only one way to know for sure," Jarod said "Somebody's going to have to go down that tunnel."

  
  


"I know you're in a hurry, man," Bennish said "But, are you sure?"

  
  


"We have to know," Jarod said.

  
  


"You're not planning to go are you?" Amanda asked.

  
  


"If you want to see your son again, yes," Jarod said "And I suggest that only one of us go. The fact that four was dragged into the last vortex was probably one of the contributing factors as to why Quinn and his friends got lost."

  
  


"Agreed," Bennish said.

  
  


"But why does it have to be you, Agent Malone?"

  
  


"Because I'm expendable, Mister Bennish isn't," Jarod said "If it doesn't work you need somebody like Mister Bennish to continue the work. To correct the mistake that we've made."

  
  


Bennish blushed at the thought of being so important that somebody would take the leap to ensure that he would live. Then he frowned on missing out on the opportunity of several lifetimes. Jarod saw that frown and took him to one side.

  
  


"I need you here, Conrad," Jarod said "I need you to protect Amanda and to keep the authorities away from this Lab. You could be my and Quinn's only way back. Do you understand me?"

  
  


Bennish nodded.

  
  


"If it proves to be a safe way to travel, you will be getting your chance," Jarod said.

  
  


"But not yet," Bennish said.

  
  


Jarod patted Bennish on the shoulder.

  
  


"What a bummer!" Bennish said with feeling.

  
  


Jarod smiled and approached Amanda.

  
  


"You be careful," Amanda said.

  
  


"I will," Jarod said "Conrad, set the timer for thirty minutes, that should give me enough time to get my bearings."

  
  


Bennish set the timer. Jarod took a deep breath and took the timer from Bennish.

  
  


"Wish me luck," Jarod said.

  
  


He pressed the button and the vortex opened. Jarod leapt into the vortex and it closed a couple of seconds later.

  
  


"Good luck, Man," Bennish said.

  
  
  
  


The College

  
  


Miss Parker showed the female lab technician Jarod's photograph and the woman nodded.

"Is that him?" Miss Parker asked impatiently.

  
  


"Sure looks like him," She said "His hair's a bit longer, but yeah that's him. Are you his partner?"

  
  


"Yes she is," Sydney said "I'm his superior, we're afraid for his life."

  
  


"In what way?"

  
  


"He's developed an obsession with finding Quinn Mallory, Wade Wells, Professor Arturo and Rembrandt Brown," Sydney said "We think he could be on the verge of doing something stupid."

  
  


"We need to find him before he does," Miss Parker said.

  
  


"What exactly was he doing here?" Sydney asked.

  
  


"He was wanting to acquire the same stuff that Quinn Mallory borrowed four years ago, he said it would help to bring him and Professor Arturo back."

  
  


"And you gave it to him?" Parker asked.

  
  


"I saw no reason not to," The Woman said "I even suggest that he went to see Conrad Bennish."

  
  


"Who's he?"

  
  


"A friend of Quinn Mallory's, I suggested he might be of some help with his project."

  
  


"You have an address for this Conrad Bennish?" Miss Parker asked.

  
  


"If you give me a minute, I can get it for you."

  
  


The Technician left them in her Lab.

  
  


"We've got him," Miss Parker said "I can feel it."

  
  


"I've got a feeling we may have run into a lot more than we've reckoned with," Sydney said.

  
  


"Meaning?"

  
  


"Remember your dream, remember ape world," Sydney said "What if that was another dimension?"

  
  


"You don't believe that crap?"

  
  


Sydney smiled.

  
  


"That was the main topic of Professor Arturo's lecture. That and the Einstein, Rosen, Podalsky Bridge."

  
  


"Excuse me?" Miss Parker said.

  
  


"The bridge between dimensions, Einstein postulated that such a bridge was possible. It's also possible that Arturo and Quinn Mallory found that bridge."

  
  


"And now the Lab Rat," Miss Parker said.

  
  


"He's more than capable, especially if he had help," Sydney suggested.

  
  


Miss Parker looked at Sydney and then realised Conrad Bennish's role. From what she was hearing, he was probably the next best thing to Quinn Mallory. If Jarod was to go for help, it would be to someone like Conrad Bennish. 

  
  


"Oh brother," Miss Parker said "If he's crossed that bridge, we could lose him forever."

  
  


"Maybe it would be for the best."

  
  


Miss Parker glared at him and dismissed the thought just as quickly. If she did let him escape down that bridge, she may as well join him, because her life would be hell for as long as she lived. She saw the Technician return and breathed a sigh of relief. She almost snatched the paper from the technician's hand and ran down the corridor.

  
  


"Thanks for your help," Sydney said.

  
  


Sydney walked in pursuit.

  
  


A Parallel World

  
  


Jarod picked himself up from the grass and shook himself down. He checked the timer and saw that it was counting down from twenty-nine minutes. He put the timer in his inside pocket and started walking. He walked for ten minutes, taking in the sombre looks on the faces of people that he passed. He could see that they were afraid and started to wonder why. He soon got his answer when he saw what looked like jack-booted apes beat up a man just for kicks. He wanted to dive in and help the guy. However, an instinct told him not to interfere, to keep a low profile. He soon joined a group of similarly dressed people being herded onto a truck by ape like creatures dressed in Nazi style uniforms. He sat next to two women, one had brown haired woman with green eyes, she had handcuffs around her wrists as did the smaller red-head woman who sat next to her. They looked tired as if they had been hard at work all day. He saw a man being pistol whipped to the ground and then thrown into the truck by the apes. Jarod helped the man to his feet and sat him down opposite.

  
  


"Are you all right?"

  
  


The man nodded. 

  
  


"Who are these clowns?" Jarod whispered.

  
  


"They're Kromaggs."

  
  


Jarod turned around and saw the Red-Head and the Light Brown haired woman smile nervously. He tried to get his head around the name 'Kromaggs' and didn't like the sound of it at all. He returned the women's smile in a hope that it would start some sort of conversation. It worked.

  
  


"I haven't seen you before," The Red-head said "When did you get in."

  
  


"I arrived a minute ago from a parallel universe."

  
  


"You slid?" The Light Brown haired woman said.

  
  


"It would be an appropriate way of describing the experience I suppose," Jarod said with a smile.

  
  


He looked at the Red-Head properly for the first time and thought that he recognised her. He could see that the two women were excited by what they had just heard. The truck started up and an Ape Guard joined them.

  
  


"You!"

  
  


Jarod pointed at himself.

  
  


"Yes you, why haven't you got cuffs on," He said

  
  


He noted that everybody else included the man he saved had handcuffs on. He was the only one who didn't. He could see the ape take out a pair and approach him ready to put them on.

  
  


"Maybe because I've just arrived."

  
  


He hit the Ape Guard and snatched his weapon. The Ape Guard tried to regain control but Jarod butt-stroked him out of the cab.

  
  


"Nice place you have here," Jarod said "Are they all like that?"

  
  


The truck skidded to a halt and that allowed the prisoners to jump out and run. Some, including the man that Jarod helped, were cut down by gun fire from accompanying troopers, others like Jarod and the two women ran towards a forbidding looking house in the suburbs of San Francisco. Only Jarod and the two women made it to the house, the others were mown down before they even reached the gate. Jarod and the two women placed furniture in front of the door to barricade themselves in.

  
  


"Who are you?" The Red-Head asked.

  
  


"My name is Jarod."

  
  


"I'm Maggie, this is Wade."

  
  


"As in Maggie Beckett and Wade Wells?"

  
  


The two women eyed him suspiciously.

  
  


"I've just come from the home of Quinn Mallory," Jarod said "I've been trying to find you guys, to bring you home."

  
  


"You've come from Earth Prime?" The Red-Head asked.

  
  


"I suppose you would call it that if you came from there, so yes I came from Earth Prime," Jarod said.

  
  


"How long do you have?" The Light Brown Haired Woman asked.

  
  


Jarod took out his timer.

  
  


"Ten minutes before I have to return."

  
  


"We're not going to have enough time to get back to Remmy and Quinn," The Red-Head said.

  
  


The door started buckling with the force of charging bodies.

  
  


"I can get you home," Jarod said "You and Professor Arturo."

  
  


Again Wade and Maggie looked quizzically at Jarod.

  
  


"You didn't mention his name, I assumed he was with you."

  
  


"Professor Arturo's dead," Wade said.

  
  


Jarod saw that the door was about to cave in and decided to take in this information later. They had to get out of that building now. Jarod guided the two women to the back of the house where they found Kromagg soldiers forcing their way in.

  
  


"Stairs!" Jarod said.

  
  


"We'll be blocked in," Maggie said.

  
  


"I know," Jarod said "I can't see any other way."

  
  


He opened fire with his borrowed weapon and cut a Kromagg down. Maggie scrambled for the Maggs' weapon before his friends could arrive and gunned one down for herself. She joined Jarod and Wade climbing the stairs. They reached the top finding themselves in front of a locked door.

  
  


"Shit!" Jarod cursed.

  
  


"Now what do we do?" Wade asked.

  
  


"This!" Maggie said

  
  


Maggie kicked at the door and managed to force it open slightly. She shot another Kromagg just as Jarod and Wade put their shoulders to the door and forced it open a little more. They pushed their way in and started to use the furniture to barricade themselves in.

  
  


"How long have you got?" Wade asked.

  
  


Jarod took out his timer.

  
  


"Thirty seconds."

  
  


"We're going to have to draw them off," Maggie said "It's us they want. They don't know about your capabilities yet."

  
  


"I can't let you do that," Jarod said.

  
  


"We don't have time to argue," Maggie said.

  
  


"Just tell Mrs Mallory that Quinn's okay," Wade said.

  
  


Maggie and Wade took away the barriers and went out with their cuffed hands on their heads.

  
  


"No!" Jarod said.

  
  


The Kromaggs burst in and Jarod shot two of them before opening the vortex. He jumped in and it closed just before the other Maggs could reach it. The lead Magg saw a book lying on the table. He closed it and saw its title - 'The Book of Shadows'. He felt himself choking and falling to his knees trying to relieve the pressure around his neck. His troopers burst in to try and help but found themselves crashing into walls as if thrown by an invisible hand. Somebody approached Maggie and Wade, somebody that Wade knew very well.

  
  


"Logan St Clair?"

  
  


Inside Quinn's Home

  
  


The vortex opened and Jarod fell out. He almost crashed into a jubilant Conrad Bennish.

  
  


"You are a genius, Jarod," He said hugging the Pretender "It worked."

  
  


Jarod disentangled himself and went to Amanda. He took her hand.

  
  


"I saw Wade and Maggie Beckett," He said "They're alive or were when I left them. They told me that your son and Rembrandt Brown are still alive."

  
  


Amanda collapsed into Jarod's arms and started sobbing with relief.

  
  


"Unfortunately, they're in trouble," Jarod continued "They were prisoners of this ape race that call themselves Kromaggs. I couldn't bring Wade or Maggie back with me and I don't know what happened to them."

  
  


The sobs turned into sobs of fear. Jarod took Amanda's shoulders.

  
  


"I will find out what happened to them."

  
  


"I know you will," Amanda said "I trust you."

  
  


"What about the Professor?" Bennish asked.

  
  


"According to Wade, the Professor's dead."

  
  


"No!"

  
  


Bennish slumped into the chair, shocked.

  
  


"I don't believe it," He said "People like him don't die."

  
  


"I know," Jarod said.

  
  


Conrad Bennish's Home - Three Days Later

  
  


Sydney left Bennish's home and approached the car that Parker was sitting in. Sydney had persuaded Miss Parker that it might be better if he handled Bennish. They could have a scientific discussion and he could slip Jarod into the conversation.

  
  


"It would be better than your rough-house tactics," Sydney had suggested.

  
  


Miss Parker, although miffed by that suggestion, decided to let Sydney try it his way. As he approached the car, Miss Parker tapped her watch.

  
  


"You've been two hours."

  
  


"Sorry, he was an interesting guy," Sydney said.

  
  


"Does he know where Jarod is?"

  
  


"He does," Sydney said "But, he's not saying where, and that's only the impression I got from my conversation. He was very evasive when I directly challenged him."

  
  


Miss Parker glared at him. 

  
  


"Maybe I should have gone in there after all."

  
  


Sydney shook his head.

  
  


"He may look like a hippy," He said "But he's loyal. It would have taken a lot to shake him."

  
  


"So what do you suggest?"

  
  


"That we keep a surveillance on him, let him lead us to Jarod."

  
  


Miss Parker sighed, but nodded her agreement. 

  
  


A Parallel World - A Week Later

  
  


Jarod returned to the Kromagg dominated world. This time he was armed to the teeth and ready for any eventuality. He didn't need the weapons. He slid into a scene of wild hysteria and massive celebrations. Fireworks were going off everywhere, people danced in the streets and hugged every body could see. Even Jarod was hugged and kissed by two women and a man. For a moment he thought he was on the wrong world until he saw the building he escaped from not a week before looking the same as he left it. He grabbed the arm of a blonde female cop.

  
  


"What's happened here?" He asked.

  
  


"Don't you know, buddy?" The Cop said with a smile "The Maggs are dead, all of them."

  
  


"How?" He looked at the cop's badge "Officer Lewis."

  
  


"Where have you been?" She said.

  
  


"I'm a reporter with the San Francisco Herald, I want to hear it from your own words."

  
  


"The sliders Quinn Mallory, Rembrandt Brown, Wade Wells, Maggie Beckett and Logan St Clair," She said "They poisoned those creeps with some fungus that affects humanoids with their genetic make-up. The Maggs are all dead."

  
  


The cop kissed another male passer by.

  
  


"What happened to the Sliders?"

  
  


"They left," Officer Lewis said "I heard that one of them gave his life in order to perfect the fungus."

  
  


"Which one?"

  
  


"I don't know," Lewis said "Whoever it was will go down in history as a man who gave his life to save his people. He will be honoured as a true hero."

  
  


Lewis danced away with a man and two women. Jarod accepted another kiss from a jubilant woman and sat down on a nearby bench trying to take in what had happened. She said 'He', Jarod thought, which meant that it was either Quinn Mallory or Rembrandt Brown. He couldn't tell Amanda that her son may be dead, not until he knew for sure. Checking the timer and finding that his time was nearly up, he got to his feet and activated the timer. The portal opened ad he jumped in.

  
  


Quinn's Home

  
  


Jarod picked himself up from the floor and dusted himself down.

  
  


"I have to find a better way of coming out of that vortex," He said.

  
  


"Well?" Amanda asked expectantly.

  
  


"They've moved on," Jarod said "I don't know where."

  
  


Amanda took Jarod's shoulders and sobbed. Jarod hugged the distraught woman.

  
  


"Where's Conrad?"

  
  


"Meeting with that Parker woman," Amanda said "She is one determined woman."

  
  


"I know she is."

  
  


Six Weeks Later - The Dominion Hotel

  
  


It had been a frustrating six weeks for both Miss Parker and Jarod. For Miss Parker it was dealing with the aggravating Conrad Bennish. She had visited him at least five times and with each visit, she became more and more hostile. Sydney was proved to be right, he was loyal to a fault. Every time she or Broots tried to tail him, he gave them the run-around. Miss Parker was convinced that Sydney was also right about Bennish knowing where Jarod was. However, despite his hippy appearance, Bennish was proving to be an elusive quarry. He was giving her and Broots the grand tour of San Francisco's sights. 

  
  


"It wouldn't surprise me that Jarod is hiding out in Quinn's Mallory's home," Sydney said.

  
  


"A little obvious," Parker said "I don't think even Jarod would be that stupid."

  
  


"Have you heard of a double bluff?" Sydney said.

  
  


"Of course," She said "However, and I hate to say this, the only way he's eluded me is that he's always been one step ahead of me. He has always made friends during his pretends."

  
  


"And they've always covered for him," Sydney finished.

  
  


Miss Parker virtually growled at the thought. That made Sydney chuckle. After visiting The Golden Gate Park for the umpteenth time after Bennish had given her another bum steer. Miss Parker returned to her room to see Sydney in a disheartened mood.

  
  


"What's up?"

  
  


"Raines wants us back," He said.

  
  


"You're kidding," Miss Parker said "We're this close to getting him."

  
  


"There's been a reported sighting in New York," Sydney said "They want us to go and investigate."

  
  


"What does Broots say?"

  
  


"So you trust his word after all?"

  
  


"Sydney!"

  
  


Sydney smiled.

  
  


"He thinks that it's Mr Bennish and college friends up to their tricks," He said "I've relayed that to Raines and Lyle."

  
  


"And?"

  
  


"They've given us two more days," Sydney said "If we don't produce evidence by then, we're to go to New York. I tried to argue for more time but they're adamant."

  
  


"Damned Raines!" Miss Parker snapped "Where's Broots?"

  
  


"The electricity company," Sydney said "He's following up a possible lead."

  
  


A Parallel World

  
  


Jarod looked at the small colony created by the survivors of the Earth destroyed by solar flares and smiled. He had heard that the now missing Colonel Rickman had set up a policy of using the inhabitants of this Earth as slave labour. A policy which was abhorred by the scientific community. He was glad that the colonists had found a way of co-existing with their neighbours to the point where they were glad to help each other create the new world. One helped build the new world, the other provided the education and the structure that the world was going to need to survive. It was an amicable agreement which was bound to succeed. He also found Malcolm, the black boy that Rembrandt befriended on the dying world. It was from him that he found out what happened to Professor Arturo.

  
  


"You say that Rickman was going to shoot Quinn and Arturo stepped in the way of the bullet?" Jarod said.

  
  


"That's exactly what happened man," Malcolm said "Rickman killed Captain Beckett's husband, he would have killed me if he had the chance. He certainly put my parents in a coma."

  
  


"And your parents are here?" Jarod said.

  
  


Malcolm nodded.

  
  


"Rickman had them brought here, some kind of experiment."

  
  


Malcolm shook his head.

  
  


"Until you came," He said "We had given up hope of ever saving them. Thank you for finding a cure and bringing them back to me."

  
  


"My pleasure," Jarod said "Do you have any message for Rembrandt."

  
  


"Tell him that he promised to return to see me one day."

  
  


Jarod placed his hand on Malcolm's shoulder.

  
  


"I will," He said "Thank you for your help."

  
  


With that Jarod activated the timer and leapt into the vortex. Malcolm looked at the closing vortex and smiled.

  
  


"That goes for you too, Jarod."

  
  
  
  
  
  


The Dominion Hotel

  
  


Miss Parker's cell phone rang. She activated it.

  
  


"Yes."

  
  


"I've found him," Broots said "You're not going to believe where."

  
  


"I'm not in the mood for guessing games," Parker said "Where is he?"

  
  


"The Mallory home," Broots said "There's been at least eight massive electricity outages coming from that home over the last month and, get this, I've just seen Conrad Bennish enter the house."

  
  


She saw the smile on Sydney's face and scowled. He had been right and she hadn't listened. She knew that Sydney would never let her forget.

  
  


"You're there now?"

  
  


"Yes."

  
  


"Stay there, we're on our way."

  
  


Miss Parker grabbed her leather jacket and she and Sydney hurriedly left the room.

  
  


Outside Quinn's Home

  
  


Miss Parker and Sydney got out of the car and joined Broots at the gate.

  
  


"You'd better be right about this," Miss Parker said.

  
  


Miss Parker took out her weapon. Sydney took her hand.

  
  


"Put that away," He said "I want to take him without bloodshed."

  
  


Miss Parker glared at him. Then she compromised by holding the weapon down and deactivating the Safety catch at the same time.

  
  


"Satisfied?"

  
  


Miss Parker didn't wait for an answer. She headed for the front door. Sydney sighed at Broots and followed.

  
  


Inside Quinn's Home

  
  


Amanda heard the door bell ring. She could see that the vortex was opening and Jarod was coming through. Now was not the time for visitors.

  
  


"Do you want me to go?" Bennish asked.

  
  


"I'll go," Amanda said "This is my home."

  
  


Amanda left the Basement and went upstairs. At the same time Jarod flew into the basement and landed at Bennish's feet. Bennish helped Jarod up.

  
  


"Well?"

  
  


"I didn't find out what happened to Quinn or Rembrandt, but I can confirm that Arturo's dead," Jarod said "I'm genuinely sorry for your loss."

  
  


Bennish sat down.

  
  


"Thanks for doing that, man," He said "I'll make arrangements for a decent memorial." 

  
  


Amanda returned with somebody behind her.

  
  


"They're here to see you, Agent Malone."

  
  


Miss Parker stepped out from behind Amanda. She had a weapon in her hand and Sydney by her side.

  
  


"Hello Lab Rat," She said "Time to return to your cage."

  
  


Jarod looked at the surprised Bennish and Amanda and the possible escape routes. He could see none except for one, the timer he had in his hand.

  
  


"Not this time."

  
  


Jarod activated the timer. The vortex reappeared and began swirling violently

  
  


"Jarod, no!" Bennish shouted "No parameter has been set."

  
  


It was too late, Jarod had already leapt into the vortex.

  
  


"No you don't," Miss Parker shouted.

  
  


She and Sydney flew down the stairs and leapt into the vortex just as it closed, despite Bennish's feeble attempt to stop them Broots appeared from behind Amanda and started down the stairs

  
  


"What happened?"

  
  


"I think we may have lost them," Bennish said.

  
  


Amanda slumped to her knees. It had happened again. The hope that had been built up had suddenly crashed because of outside interference. Bennish went upstairs to comfort Amanda. He glared at Broots.

  
  


"I hope you bastards feel good about yourselves," He snapped "You may have ruined this woman's life and destroyed any chance of getting Quinn Mallory home."

  
  


Broots could find no answer to that.

  
  


A Parallel World

  
  


Jarod landed on the grass first and looked around anxiously. It was the same park he had landed in not forty minutes previously. But, was it the same world. He could see that the vortex hadn't closed and knew that somebody had followed him. Who? His answer came a split second later and was his worst fear. Miss Parker crashed into him and knocked him to the ground followed shortly by Sydney. Miss Parker took out her weapon and levelled it at Jarod.

  
  


"You really think you can get away from me," Miss Parker said.

  
  


"One can hope," Jarod said.

  
  


Jarod ignored Miss Parker's weapon and got himself to his feet. He saw Sydney get up and dust his suit down.

  
  


"Quite a ride, isn't it, Sydney," Jarod said.

  
  


"Worse than a roller-coaster," Sydney said "Still I get to prove that Einstein was right. This is another dimension I presume?"

  
  


"Hopefully none with Apes in," Jarod said.

  
  


"Apes?"

  
  


"Or Kromaggs as they're known."

  
  


"Shut up," Parker snapped pressing her weapon against his temple "Reactivate that device and get us home."

  
  


"I can't."

  
  


"Why?"

  
  


"Because if I activate it now there's no guarantee we will get home," Jarod said "We could end up sliding around forever."

  
  


"How long do we have?" Sydney asked.

  
  


"Five days and change and even then I cannot guarantee getting us home."

  
  


"Because no parameters were set," Sydney deduced.

  
  


Jarod nodded his confirmation.

  
  


"You will activate that device or I will blow your head off and activate it myself," Miss Parker said.

  
  


Jarod threw his hands up in despair. This woman was so blind that she was missing the obvious. He could see that Sydney was understanding and looked pleadingly at his old tutor and mentor.

  
  


"I suggest that you listen to Jarod, Miss Parker," Sydney said "He is our only hope of getting home."

  
  


"And I don't think those two would like you brandishing weapons," Jarod said.

  
  


Miss Parker felt the cold steel of a gun brush the side of her head.

  
  


"Drop your weapon," The voice, a female voice, a voice that Jarod recognised, said.

  
  


"I suggest that you do so very slowly," Sydney said.

  
  


Miss Parker looked at Sydney and then Jarod and slowly dropped her weapon. Suddenly all three of them were being handcuffed by police officers.

  
  
  
  


To Be Continued


	2. Singing the Blues

4:02 - Keep The Home Fires Burning (Part Two)

  
  


A Detention Centre - San Francisco

  
  


Jarod got out of the back of the darkened police van and blinked his eyes in order to adjust to the strong sun light. It had been a long ride to this particular detention centre, at least Forty-Five minutes.

  
  


"Move!" The Female Police Officer, who looked like the Officer Lewis he met a month ago, told him.

  
  


She backed it up by pushing him forward. Jarod thought about reacting but saw Miss Parker being treated in the same way and decided against it. This certainly wasn't the woman he had met a month ago. This one was harder and more aggressive. Seeing that Sydney was emerging from the van, he started walking towards the entrance to the centre. They were taken into the building and guided to a desk where a large red-aced Police Sergeant looked wearily at them.

  
  


"Who do we have here?" The Sergeant said.

  
  


"Some more vagrants," Officer Lewis said.

  
  


The Sergeant shook his head.

  
  


"You people really are stupid," He said "You knew that the World Song Contest was coming here, you knew that the city was activating a clean-up policy, yet you still come."

  
  


Miss Parker pushed her way to the desk.

  
  


"My name is Parker," She said "I represent the Centre in Blue Cove, Delaware. I demand that you get in contact with them immediately."

  
  


The Sergeant burst into laughter.

  
  


"You claim to represent that particular centre," The Sergeant guffawed "That really takes the cake."

  
  


"What the hell's going on here," Miss Parker demanded to know.

  
  


"I suggest that you shut up," Jarod whispered in her ear "Before you get us all in trouble."

  
  


Miss Parker glared at Jarod, but took a deep breath and closed her mouth.

  
  


"I'm sorry about my friend," Jarod said "She's just had a shock."

  
  


The Sergeant turned his attention to Jarod and relaxed a little.

  
  


"Who are you?"

  
  


"My name is Jarod Malone, I'm a Federal Marshall," He said "If you check the belongings that your colleague took off me I think you'll find some identification proving my identity."

  
  


The Sergeant glanced at his colleague who gave him a bag. The Sergeant tipped the contents out and examined the first ID card that he found. It was Jarod's federal accreditation.

  
  


"I'm sorry, Agent Malone," He said.

  
  


"Don't be, you were doing your job," Jarod said "Security must be tight for the Song Contest. We're here to see that it is."

  
  


The Sergeant glanced Lewis urgently. The Police Officer took off Jarod's handcuffs.

  
  


"And the others."

  
  


"This woman was holding a gun on you," Officer Lewis said.

  
  


"I also said that my partner has just had a shocking experience," Jarod said putting an arm around Miss Parker's shoulders "Somebody abducted her a couple of days ago, some sex crazed maniac. She managed to escape but was feeling disorientated. She thought Doctor Green and I were the kidnappers and she naturally pulled out the gun to defend herself."

  
  


Jarod noted the glare that Miss Parker gave him, but was glad that she was nodding her agreement to what he had just said.

  
  


"If you can free her from the handcuffs, Doctor Green and I might be able to get her some treatment."

  
  


The Sergeant nodded and Lewis took off both Miss Parker's and Sydney's handcuffs.

  
  


"Are you okay, Amanda?" Jarod asked.

  
  


"I will be," Miss Parker said through gritted teeth "Once I get treatment."

  
  


"I'm Doctor Sydney Green," Sydney added following Jarod's lead "The sooner we can get Agent Parker to the hospital, the sooner we can begin treatment."

  
  


"I'll arrange an escort," The Sergeant said.

  
  


"It's okay," Jarod said "You have your hands full, just point us in the right direction."

  
  


"Officer Lewis will take you," The Sergeant insisted "We don't you picked up for vagrancy again, do we."

  
  


"Of course not," Jarod said.

  
  


He turned to the Female Police Officer.

  
  


"Lead the way, Officer Lewis."

  
  


The Hospital

  
  


Officer Lewis had dropped Jarod, Miss Parker and Sydney off at reception. She had followed them all the way in to make sure that they indeed were going for a check up and not slipping out the back door. Something told Jarod that Officer Lewis didn't entirely trust them, which was why he went through with the process of arranging a check up for Miss Parker. Once the Female Police Officer was satisfied, she left.

  
  


"Okay, Lab Rat," Parker said "What was that all about?"

  
  


"That was Jarod saving us from humiliation," Sydney said "I think you owe him your thanks."

  
  


"Thank you," Parker said quickly "Now can we get out of here."

  
  


Jarod crossed his arms and smirked.

  
  


"Do you think that my partner should have a check up, Sydney?"

  
  


"It was quite a fall," Sydney said "But then she did land on top of you, Jarod. Maybe you should both have a check up, just to be on the safe side."

  
  


"Will you two pack it in," Miss Parker said "I'm okay. Let's get the hell out of here before Officer Goody Two Shoes comes back."

  
  


Jarod nodded his agreement and followed Miss Parker out of the building. Sydney smiled knowingly and imitated their hasty departure.

  
  


The Dominion Hotel - Four Hours Later

  
  


Miss Parker felt the jet of warm water cascade down her naked body. It had taken them two hours to find this hotel, the only hotel that had vacancies because of this damned song contest, and she, Sydney and Jarod had to wait an hour before obtaining a room - the penthouse suite of all places. She was feeling tired and ratty and a little frustrated. She had tried calling the Centre only to find that the number no longer existed in any form. Sydney had gone out to find out why leaving both Jarod and Miss Parker to freshen up. As she lathered her body, she wondered what had happened to them. Although this world looked like her world, she had already noted one or two differences. Firstly the World Song Contest. She knew there was a Eurovision Song Contest which had been going for nearly fifty years. There had been talk of it going global but it hadn't happened yet. She had also noted that the fashion sense was a little nineteen seventies, flares and kipper ties predominant. She found that out by looking at complementary wardrobe that this hotel gave all paying customer who arrive without luggage, something else that wouldn't have happened in her world. If it wasn't so serious she would now be laughing at what she was seeing.

  
  


"What have you landed me in this time, Jarod?" Miss Parker said.

  
  


She turned off the shower and opened the curtains. She stepped out and began to dry herself using the complementary towels. She remembered the smooth way that Jarod convinced that idiot Sergeant of their credentials. Okay, she had to suffer the indignity of having been allegedly abducted by a sex crazed maniac, a situation which in real life she was sure she would not let happen. But it was worth it to get out of those handcuffs and out of that building. Sydney once teased her that she admired Jarod and may have been a little bit jealous of his skills. That wasn't entirely without foundation. Nothing she would admit openly, but at the very least the admiration was there. She especially admired how he smoothly adapted to what was an alien situation to him as well. If he hadn't, they probably would have been in the 'slammer' by now or being carted off to a lunatic asylum. One thing bothered her. Why did they laugh when she mentioned she was with The Centre? Hopefully, she thought to herself, Sydney would find that out. She slipped on a bath robe and went out into the lounge where she saw Jarod watching what looked like the news.

  
  


"Anything interesting?"

  
  


Jarod turned around and looked at Miss Parker.

  
  


"I think I may have found Rembrandt Brown," He said.

  
  


Miss Parker sat next to Jarod and invited him to turn up the sound. Jarod did so willingly. 

  
  


"The United States representative in the World Song Contest, Rembrandt Brown, arrived at the Conference Centre looking confident," The auburn haired Female News-reader said, smiling her shining white teeth "His song, The Crying Times, has been made odds on favourite by Las Vegas bookmaker Jimmy the Greek. Some have called it the best song ever to enter the much maligned contest since Katrina and the Waves won for the United Kingdom with 'Love Shine A Light' in 1997." 

  
  


The picture switched to a smiling Rembrandt Brown signing autographs. He looked at the camera and his smile broadened.

  
  


"You going to win on Saturday, Rembrandt?" A reporter shouted out.

  
  


"Of course, I am," He said "My song is a classic. It will wipe the floor with all the opposition."

  
  


"Certainly a confident man," Miss Parker said.

  
  


"How do you answer the accusation that the song sounds like your best hit 'Cry Like A Man?" Another reporter shouted.

  
  


Rembrandt, who was signing another autograph at the time, glared at the camera.

  
  


"It's not even close," He said "Who said that?"

  
  


"Most of the music press."

  
  


Rembrandt put his face close to the camera lens.

  
  


"You tell those fools that 'The Crying Times' is an original composition and is nothing like anything that I've done in my life and if anybody suggests different, I will challenge them in court," Rembrandt said "Now if you don't mind, I have a rehearsal to attend." 

  
  


"Way to go, Rembrandt!" Jarod said.

  
  


Miss Parker glanced at the Pretender and saw the smile on his face. She had missed that smile. She took a deep breath and dismissed what she was feeling from her mind.

  
  


"What makes you sure this is our Rembrandt Brown?"

  
  


"The way he's dressed."

  
  


Miss Parker looked at Rembrandt as he walked into the building. His dress was a mixture of the predominant ninety seventies look and the ninety nineties, the time he left from. The hair was definitely ninety nineties, short and well groomed. The hair she had seen on other men would have put an Afghan Hound to shame.

  
  


"What do you plan to do about it?"

  
  


"As soon as Sydney gets back, I'm going over to the Conference Centre," Jarod looked at Miss Parker "If you want to come with me, you should get dressed. Something casual I think."

  
  


Miss Parker glared at him, got up and flounced unceremoniously into one of the rooms two bedrooms. Jarod smiled and continued watching the television. A minute later, the door opened and Sydney entered. He looked concerned.

  
  


"What's up Sydney?" Jarod asked.

  
  


"Where's Miss Parker," Sydney asked.

  
  


"Getting changed, why?"

  
  


"I think she ought to hear this," Sydney said "It seems that in this world, The Centre was destroyed, by her."

  
  


Even Jarod looked surprised at that suggestion.

  
  


A Rental Car 

  
  


Miss Parker, sitting alongside Jarod in the passenger seat of the car Sydney had rented, was thunderstruck. Never in her wildest dreams would she consider giving evidence to a Senate Select Committee about the Centre's activities. However in this world, according to Sydney, not only did her double give evidence against the Centre, but she did so in the aftermath of her mother and fathers cold blooded murder by the Triumvirate. It had been a public feeding frenzy brought on after a video tape of a Centre black project was released to the press. It showed the results of a virus that the Centre had deliberately released in a New England town in August 1997.

  
  


"The act so disgusted the Parker family that they arranged for Jarod's double to deliver the video to the Walter Kronkite Show," Sydney explained "Not long afterwards Mr Parker and Catherine were blown up by a car bomb. It seems that Miss Parker's double was meant to be travelling with her father and mother that evening but had gone down with the flu. This world's Miss Parker persuaded the FBI to put her on the Witness Protection Programme in return for her testimony."

  
  


"Which they agreed to do?" Jarod said.

  
  


Sydney nodded.

  
  


"Unfortunately, the Triumvirate paid off somebody in the FBI and had my double killed," Miss Parker deduced.

  
  


"About a year later, she was killed along with two others," Sydney said "Fortunately, the killer was caught and made a plea bargain with the FBI. All three members of the triumvirate were executed two years later."

  
  


Miss Parker took another drag of her cigarette and glanced in the mirror at Sydney, who smiled at her sympathetically.

  
  


"I would have done the same thing," Jarod said "Your double didn't have much of a choice. She had to give that testimony."

  
  


"They would have killed her to make sure that she didn't give evidence," Sydney said "You know that."

  
  


"They did anyway."

  
  


"But not before she had destroyed them," Jarod said "And the action cost the Triumvirate their lives. The Government was forced to close the Centre down after your double's death. There was nothing else they could have done considering what they were finding out."

  
  


"Watergate would have paled into insignificance," Sydney added "The Government probably would have fallen."

  
  


"Which is why they cleaned house?" Jarod said.

  
  


Sydney nodded

  
  


"Yeah!" Miss Parker growled "Of course those bastards would come up smelling of roses. Of course they would clean their lily white hands of the blood of their co-conspirators."

  
  


"The way of this world and I suspect of most others," Sydney said.

  
  


"That is not comforting," Parker returned.

  
  


"It wasn't meant to be," Sydney said "We have to face facts, corruption is everywhere. It's only brave people like your double who can stop it. Something you should bear in mind, don't you think, Miss Parker?"

  
  


Miss Parker took another drag of her of her cigarette and thought nasty thoughts.

  
  


"Oh by the way, Miss Parker, Jarod, I have some good news," Sydney said "It seems that Miss Parker's double had a twin sister called, believe or not, Catherine. It seems that it was her and Jarod's double in this world that tracked her sister's killer down."

  
  


"She's a Fed?"

  
  


"A DC Cop," Sydney said "I tried to find out more, but, it seems that she has moved onwards and upwards. Her records have been made top secret, which is interesting in itself."

  
  


"I would like to have met her," Miss Parker said.

  
  


"Heads up, guys," Jarod said "We're here."

  
  


They could see the Conference Centre and the crowd outside cheering and clapping each of the contestants as they went into rehearse.

  
  


"How are we supposed to get in, become an entrant in the song contest?" Miss Parker said.

  
  


"I don't think we need to go as far as that, look."

  
  


The three could see Officer Lewis approach their car. Jarod brought the car to a halt and wound the window down.

  
  


"Why, it's the dynamic duo and their butler," Lewis said with withering sarcasm "I checked the hospital. It seems that you never had that treatment. I wonder why?"

  
  


"She didn't want it,"Sydney said "The stupid girl checked herself out before they saw her."

  
  


"I'm afraid of hospitals," Miss Parker said.

  
  


If looks could kill Sydney would have died a horrifying death considering the look Miss Parker gave him through the rear view mirror. All Sydney did was smile impassively.

  
  


"We got her treatment with a private clinic," Jarod said.

  
  


"Where?"

  
  


"A top secret military clinic," Sydney said "I have some friends there. If you check you're not going to find much. I asked them to keep it quiet."

  
  


"Why?"

  
  


"To save Agent Parker further embarrassment," Sydney said "As you see, she wanted to get back to work as soon as possible. Against my advice."

  
  


"Good girl," Lewis said "Don't let the bastards win."

  
  


Jarod allowed himself a smirk.

  
  


"Okay, Batman, Robin and Alfred, what are you doing here?"

  
  


"Security check, we need to see Rembrandt Brown," Jarod said.

  
  


"You're joking," Lewis said "That damned stalker isn't here is she."

  
  


Miss Parker and Sydney looked at Jarod in alarm. This they knew nothing about. Jarod nodded in his relaxed, unhurried style.

  
  


"We think so," Jarod said "We need to make sure that Mr Brown is protected at all times."

  
  


Lewis sighed.

  
  


"I'll get you in," She said "You know I'm going to call it in. I need to know everything you know."

  
  


"It's been collated at the bureau office at the moment," Miss Parker said "We'll let you have it as soon as we have it. May be a few hours."

  
  


Lewis shook her head and threw up her hands in frustration.

  
  


"One of these days you Bureau types will trust us enough to let us do our jobs."

  
  


"Yeah, I know," Jarod said "We get the blame for everything that goes wrong."

  
  


Sydney and Miss Parker choked down their laughter. Lewis glared at him and then waved him through.

  
  


Rembrandt Brown's Dressing Room

  
  


Rembrandt looked at himself in the mirror and smiled.

  
  


"Looking good!"

  
  


He placed a comb in his hair and gently combed his hair back. He looked at himself again in the mirror.

  
  


"Wish Wade, Q Ball and the Professor were here to see this."

  
  


He looked at his reflection, puzzled by what he had just said. Then he shook his head and placed the comb back on the table. He heard a knock on the door and frowned. If this was another reporter, he thought, he would go spare.

  
  


"Who is it?"

  
  


"FBI," Jarod said through the closed door "We need to see you on an urgent matter."

  
  


"For Christ Sake!" Rembrandt muttered.

  
  


He got to his feet and went to the door.

  
  


"I want to see some ID."

  
  


"Open the door and we'll oblige," Miss Parker said.

  
  


Rembrandt shook his head in disbelief

  
  


"If this is about that fruit ball stalker..."

  
  


He opened the door to reveal both Jarod and Miss Parker holding identification. Sydney remained just behind aware that he had no ID and allowing Jarod and Parker to take the lead.

  
  


"I'm Agent Malone, this is Agent Parker," Jarod said "The man behind us Doctor Sydney Green, he's a consultant. Do you mind if we come in?"

  
  


"I have thirty minutes before I'm due on stage for rehearsal."

  
  


"This wont take long," Jarod promised.

  
  


Rembrandt sighed and allowed Jarod, Miss Parker and Sydney to enter the room. To allow for privacy, Rembrandt bolted the door.

  
  


"That may not have been a good idea," Jarod said "We could have been anybody."

  
  


"I trust you," Rembrandt said "Let's get on with it. If this is about that damned stalker, I thought you had dealt with it."

  
  


"It isn't Mr Brown," Sydney said "This is about your friends Quinn Mallory, Wade Wells, Maximilian Arturo and Maggie Beckett."

  
  


Rembrandt gave them a blank look, a give away sign that he had no memory of them or had idea of what they were talking about. This was not a good start.

  
  


"Can you remember what happened to you four years ago?" Jarod pressed.

  
  


"Who are you?"

  
  


"You were about to sing the national anthem before the big game at the ball park in San Francisco when you drove into a vortex, a big tunnel of light," Jarod continued "Do you remember?"

  
  


Rembrandt sat down and tried to remember.

  
  


"I drove into a block of ice. It was freezing."

  
  


Rembrandt could feel a pain shoot through his brain. He could see two men and a woman approach his car. He remembered the tunnel of light and having to be pushed up into it. The pain was becoming intense causing him to black out temporarily.

  
  


"Rembrandt?" Jarod said

  
  


"Q Ball?" Rembrandt said "You died, it can't be you."

  
  


"Rembrandt," Sydney said "It's Doctor Green."

  
  


Rembrandt's eyes focussed on Sydney, Jarod and the woman called Miss Parker.

  
  


"Who's Q Ball?" Miss Parker said.

  
  


Rembrandt almost fell out of his chair trying to back away.

  
  


"Who the hell are you?"

  
  


Sydney frowned in frustration. Miss Parker scowled, but Jarod adopted a kindly and reassuring smile.

  
  


"We're Sliders just like you, Rembrandt," Jarod said "We've come from Earth Prime to find you, Wade, Quinn and Professor Arturo and take you home."

  
  


Now Rembrandt looked at the newcomers with suspicion. He saw Jarod take what looked like a timer out of his inside pocket.

  
  


"Where did you get that from?"

  
  


"Do you recognise it?" Miss Parker said.

  
  


"Where did you get it from?" Rembrandt repeated.

  
  


"I built it with a man called Conrad Bennish," Jarod said "We used Quinn Mallory's notes to rebuild the Sliding machine."

  
  


Rembrandt burst into tears. Sydney came forward and hugged him.

  
  


"I can't remember," Rembrandt said "I can't damned well remember."

  
  


"It's okay, Mr Brown," Sydney said "You will, I'll help you to remember."

  
  


Sydney looked at Jarod and Miss Parker. Both of them understood and left the room.

  
  


The Corridor Outside Rembrandt's Room

  
  


"Well, that went well," Parker said.

  
  


Jarod glared at her.

  
  


"I didn't think he would have had his memory wiped clean," He said "Whoever did that did one hell of a job."

  
  


"Okay, Lab Rat," Parker said "What do you do now?"

  
  


"Wait for Sydney to do his work," Jarod said "It's all we can do."

  
  


Jarod sat next to Miss Parker and looked at her light another cigarette.

  
  


"You've taken this very well," Jarod said.

  
  


"What?"

  
  


"This sliding business," Jarod said "Anybody else would have been freaking out by now. But, except for when we first arrived, you've taken this whole thing in your stride."

  
  


"We're going home in four days," Miss Parker said "And I'll be delivering you to the triumvirate."

  
  


"Despite everything you've learned about what your double on this world did, you still stick to what you know."

  
  


Miss Parker took a drag of her cigarette

  
  


"It's all I know," She said "You run, I chase you. You're my ticket to freedom from the Parker curse, that obnoxious brother of mine and the Triumvirate."

  
  


"So it's nothing personal?"

  
  


Miss Parker shrugged.

  
  


"What are you going to do if we can't go home?"

  
  


Miss Parker looked at Jarod.

  
  


"It's a possibility," Jarod said "There were no parameters set, remember. We could end up anywhere."

  
  


For the first time, Miss Parker lost a little of her self confidence. They indeed could be lost and it would have been her fault.

  
  


"We'll improvise," She said.

  
  


Jarod burst into laughter.

  
  


"You are incorrigible," He said.

  
  


Parker allowed herself a smile. It was a nice smile and Jarod wished he saw more of it.

  
  


"Well, at least one thing will happen," Miss Parker said.

  
  


"What?"

  
  


"I'll learn to walk a mile in your shoes," She said "I'll learn how a Pretender works."

  
  


Jarod continued chuckling. He stopped chuckling when Lewis found them and approached. She had a document in her hand and a concerned look on her face.

  
  


"Where's your friend?" She asked.

  
  


"Inside with Rembrandt Brown," Miss Parker said "Why?"

  
  


"I suggest that he stays with him," Lewis said.

  
  


"The stalker's in San Francisco," Jarod deduced.

  
  


Lewis nodded. Miss Parker silently swore 

  
  


"A body was found an hour ago in an alleyway in Chinatown," Lewis said "She was killed by somebody using the same MO as Rembrandt's stalker. If we had got this earlier, this could have been prevented."

  
  


"Can I have a look at it?" Jarod said.

  
  


"I thought you'd already seen it," Lewis said.

  
  


"Not the updated version," Miss Parker said "You arrested us for vagrancy and I was being checked up in a military clinic, remember."

  
  


"Of course," Lewis said "Silly me."

  
  


She handed Jarod the file.

  
  


"We'll be back in a minute," Miss Parker said "We want to brief Doctor Green on what has happened."

  
  


"I'll be leaving here in five minutes," Lewis said.

  
  


Jarod nodded and knocked on the door. Sydney opened it and allowed Jarod and Miss Parker in. Lewis tried to peek in but Jarod shut the door on her face.

  
  


Rembrandts Dressing Room

  
  


"How is he?" Jarod asked.

  
  


"It's slow progress," Sydney said "He can remember Wade, Quinn and Maggie Beckett. He also remembered what happened to Arturo. I'm afraid he's dead. He was killed trying to protect Quinn from being shot by a man called Rickman."

  
  


"I already know," Jarod said "I met a friend of Rembrandt's who told me everything. A kid called Malcolm."

  
  


Sydney looked at Rembrandt who remained gazing at his reflection in the mirror obviously still under the hypnotic influence that Sydney put him under.

  
  


"But he doesn't know why he's lost his memory?" Miss Parker asked.

  
  


Sydney shook his head.

  
  


"They'll be calling for him to rehearse in ten minutes," Jarod said " I need you to get him ready to perform and to keep an eye on him. Everywhere he goes, you go."

  
  


"Why?"

  
  


"The stalker's genuine," Miss Parker said "And she's here."

  
  


Sydney frowned.

  
  


"Be careful, both of you."

  
  


Jarod placed a hand on Sydney's shoulder and ushered Miss Parker out.

  
  


Chinatown - An Hour Later

  
  


Jarod and Miss Parker finished speaking to the main witness, a nervous looking Chinese woman, and had a clearer picture as to what was going on. The woman was a black woman, tall with short dark hair. She was young, in her mid thirties, and powerful looking. She had killed the victim, a female cop roughly the same size as the killer, using a martial art that could only have been taught or performed by a Martial Arts Master, which, according to her file, she was.

  
  


"Well, genius," Miss Parker whispered "How is your karate?"

  
  


"I've got a feeling we're about to find out in the next few days," Jarod whispered back.

  
  


Lewis returned breathless.

  
  


"She's been spotted," She said "A house on Fifth Street."

  
  


"That's only a couple of blocks away from the conference centre," Miss Parker said.

  
  


Jarod frowned.

  
  


"Get a SWAT team down there now," He said "And get a hold of Doctor Green at the Centre, tell him to lock Mr Brown in his Dressing Room. He's not to leave until we give them the all clear."

  
  


"What about the rehearsal?"

  
  


"Tell them to cancel it, we can't take the chance of this woman taking hostages," Jarod said.

  
  


Lewis nodded and returned to the control point to give the instructions. Jarod and Miss Parker waited for Lewis's return before getting into the car. The car was leaving the area within seconds.

  
  


Rembrandt's Dressing Room

  
  


Rembrandt and Sydney entered the dressing room with Rembrandt in a foul mood. He had just finished rehearsing his song on stage when the call came to stop rehearsal and to get the performers back to their dressing rooms. He threw the jacket on the couch and sat down.

  
  


"You heard that," He said "That was perfect, I was on fire."

  
  


"I was impressed," Sydney said honestly.

  
  


"Really!"

  
  


"Michael Jackson couldn't have sung it better."

  
  


Rembrandt looked funnily at Sydney. Sydney smiled at the look, fully aware that he had given away his lack of knowledge of the music industry. His type of music was Puccini or Beethoven. He wouldn't have known the difference between Motown or Rhythm and Blues, which what Rembrandt had spent the last five minutes singing, even if somebody had explained the difference to him. Rembrandt noted the honest look Sydney gave him and smiled. Then it hit him what was happening.

  
  


"What's going on, man?" Rembrandt asked "That Fruit Cake can't be here."

  
  


"If she is, she won't get to you, you're too well guarded" Sydney said.

  
  


"I hope so," Rembrandt said 

  
  


He did not feel reassured by Sydney's slightly concerned tone.

  
  


The House On Fifth Street

  
  


Lewis, Jarod and Miss Parker joined the SWAT Commander inside the building, a squat which should have been demolished years ago by the looks of it. Both Jarod and Miss Parker looked at the building with distaste and mused that nothing really changed in any world. Dust and squalor will always be around in any society however much you dress it up, and this particular San Francisco with its Draconian vagrancy laws had tried to dress it up.

  
  


"Which room?" Lewis asked.

  
  


"Second floor, fifth door along," The SWAT Commander, a big, swarthy looking Black Man said "We've got men positioned on the roof opposite."

  
  


"Can they see anything?" Jarod asked.

  
  


"She just seems to be sitting there," He said "She must know we're here."

  
  


"Can you get in touch with your guy now?" Miss Parker asked.

  
  


"Sure?"

  
  


The Commander picked his Walkie-Talkie up and spoke into it. Jarod took Miss Parker to one side.

  
  


"What is it?"

  
  


"This is how that Pretender, Alex, fooled you."

  
  


Jarod's mind went back to the time when he pretended to be an NSA agent tracking down the Chameleon. They thought they had him trapped in a building in a Washington suburb, only to find out that the moving object was a decoy designed for Jarod himself. It was there that he found the doctored pictures left there to incriminate him.

  
  


"I hope you're wrong," Jarod said.

  
  


The Commander returned and handed the Walkie-Talkie to Miss Parker.

  
  


"What's his name?"

  
  


"Rodriguez," The Commander said "He's a good man."

  
  


"Rodriguez, This is Special Agent Parker, can you still see her, over?"

  
  


"Yes, Ma'am."

  
  


"What's she doing?"

  
  


"She's just sitting there with her back to the window."

  
  


"Can you take a shot?"

  
  


"I could have done so already," Rodriguez said "She's just sitting there."

  
  


"Take the shot."

  
  


The Commander and Lewis looked at her in shock. Jarod nodded his agreement at the plan.

  
  


"Commander," Jarod said "Get your men ready to go on the moment you hear the shot."

  
  


"This is crazy," The Commander said.

  
  


"Trust us," Miss Parker said "If I'm right, then we need to get your men to the Conference Centre quickly."

  
  


"A decoy?" Lewis asked.

  
  


Both Jarod and Miss Parker nodded. The Commander snatched the Walkie-Talkie.

  
  


"Rodriguez, take the shot on my mark," He said "Unit Five, get ready to go in the moment you hear the shot."

  
  


He turned to both Jarod and Miss Parker.

  
  


"You two had better be right about this."

  
  


Rembrandt's Dressing Room

  
  


A knock on the door brought Sydney to attention. 

  
  


"Who is it?"

  
  


"Officer Ramsey," The Voice said "We're checking if you want any refreshments."

  
  


Sydney looked at Rembrandt.

  
  


"I could do with a stiff drink right now," Rembrandt said.

  
  


"No thanks," Sydney said with a smile.

  
  


He heard a thud and somebody slump to the ground.

  
  


"Ramsey?" Sydney said.

  
  


Rembrandt looked at Sydney, who gestured for him to go into the other room.

  
  


"Are you armed?"

  
  


"Please, Mr Brown," Sydney said "Lock the door behind you."

  
  


Rembrandt went into the toilet and as soon as he heard Rembrandt lock it, Sydney approached the door ready to open it. The door was suddenly kicked open and a black woman wearing a police officer's uniform stood there ready to pounce. Sydney picked up a chair and tried to attack her with it but the chair was smashed like Timber-wood. A split second later, he was on the ground slumping into unconsciousness after receiving a karate blow to the neck. He saw enough to see the woman kick in the door and almost pull the frightened Rembrandt out.

  
  


The House On Fifth Street

  
  


On hearing Rodriguez's shot, Unit Five burst in. Jarod, Miss Parker, Lewis and the Commander entered right behind them and saw that the figure was what Miss Parker and Jarod feared - a Tailor's dummy dressed up. They also saw that the room was a shrine to Rembrandt. One of his jackets hung centre place over the bed. Pictures of the man hung everywhere, even a signed guitar hung on the opposite wall with a naked, computer generated, picture of the woman and Rembrandt together.

  
  


"The Conference Centre!" Jarod shouted "Move!"

  
  


The team were out of the room quickly, leaving a skeleton team to mop up and keep watch in case she came back.

  
  


Rembrandt's Dressing Room - Ten Minutes Later

  
  


Jarod and Miss Parker burst in to see A Cop helping Sydney get to his feet and into a chair. He was being attended to by a Doctor and therefore missed Miss Parker's and Jarod's entrance initially.

  
  


"Sydney?" Jarod asked.

  
  


Sydney looked up and saw the concerned look on both Jarod and Miss Parker's face.

  
  


"I've got a bit of a headache, but I'm okay."

  
  


"Why did you try and take her on your own?" Miss Parker said.

  
  


Sydney grimaced with the pain and rubbed the back of his neck. The Doctor took out a pencil light and examined his eyes.

  
  


"I really think you should go to the hospital," He said.

  
  


"I'll be fine," He said.

  
  


The Doctor looked at him doubtfully, but, decided to take Sydney's word for it. He went outside the Dressing Room to tend to the she-hulk's other victims

  
  


"What happened," Lewis said.

  
  


"She took out both of the guards and gave me a karate chop which would have knocked Lennox Lewis cold," 

  
  


The boxer's namesake gave him a funny look which both Jarod and Miss Parker caught. Obviously the British World Heavyweight champion wasn't known in this world. 

  
  


"We have to move quickly," Sydney continued "If I read this woman right, her next step would be to force Rembrandt into a marriage."

  
  


"We can have all the church's staked out within the hour," The SWAT Commander said.

  
  


"It won't be a Church in San Francisco," Jarod said.

  
  


The others looked at Jarod, all that is except Sydney who nodded his agreement.

  
  


"It will be somewhere personal to her, somewhere where she feels connected to Rembrandt."

  
  


"Okay, where?" Lewis said.

  
  


"The answer," Miss Parker said gesturing to the file that she had in her hand "Is in here."

  
  


The Dominion Hotel - Three Hours Later

  
  


Miss Parker stretched herself and rubbed the back of her neck. She had been studying everything that both the Police and The Local FBI office could ferry over to them. It seemed that their luck was really in on this occasion, because it seemed that Jarod Malone and Catherine Parker were partners on a high level FBI task force known as the 'Black Files' which was run by a certain Fox Mulder. It appeared that Catherine had joined the FBI not long after tracking down her twin sister's killer and was fast tracked into The Black Files. Mulder it seemed personally vouched for both Jarod and Miss Parker and asked that the FBI office give them all the cooperation that they needed. What they didn't know was that most of the information had been fed to them by Jarod and Catherine Parker who were aware of the fact that they were sliders. How did they know? Nobody knew, or if they did, nobody told. Nevertheless, the suspicion that was there before had dissipated to be replaced by cooperation and trust.

  
  


"It seems that some of Jarod's luck has rubbed off onto you and me by us just being with him," Sydney had observed.

  
  


"Next you're going to tell me that should tell me something," Miss Parker countered.

  
  


"It certainly tells me something," Sydney said "That we should be telling the Centre to get lost and teaming up with Jarod."

  
  


Under normal circumstances, Miss Parker might have said hell would freeze over before that happened. However, after all that had happened over the last few hours, she was beginning to wonder if Sydney wasn't right. Jarod wasn't lucky for Rembrandt, but, he did seem to be lucky for her and Sydney. Maybe she should team up with Jarod when they get home out of spite.

  
  


"Lyle would love that," Miss Parker commented

  
  


Both she and Sydney chuckled at the thought of her brother being forced to chase the combined might of Jarod, Miss Parker, Sydney and probably Broots as well. She looked at Jarod who was sitting on the couch with another file in his hand and wondered how he remained so calm in a crisis situation.

  
  


"Anything?" She asked.

  
  


"Nothing obvious," Jarod said "For a psychopath, this woman has been very clever."

  
  


"That could be her Achilles Heel," Sydney said putting his file down.

  
  


"You've found something?" Jarod asked.

  
  


"Possibly," Sydney said "It seems that her Brother is a minister in a town called Preston Valley. It's about three hours drive from here."

  
  


Jarod looked at him suspiciously.

  
  


"I spent a week there staying with a friend after attending Professor Arturo's lecture," 

Sydney explained "In fact."

  
  


He got up and went to the phone.

  
  


"Sydney, this is a different dimension," Jarod warned "Your friend could either be an enemy or dead."

  
  


"Trust me, we would never be enemies in any dimension," Sydney smiled "Yes, Can i have a number please. Preston Valley, California, John Douglas."

  
  


After writing down the number, he replaced the handset and tapped out the number. He waited a few seconds for somebody to answer. A woman answered.

  
  


"Maggie, it's Sydney Green, is John around?" Sydney slightly took the phone away when he got a torrent of abuse from the woman "I promise you I wont keep him long, I need him to do me a favour."

  
  


Sydney put his hand over the phone when it became clear that the woman had finally agreed to get the man in question.

  
  


"It seems that in this world, Maggie and my double didn't get on very well," Sydney said.

  
  


"Wasn't John Douglas that Journalist the Triumvirate had murdered last year?" Miss Parker asked.

  
  


Sydney nodded.

  
  


"You were taking one hell of a chance," Jarod said.

  
  


"Not really," Sydney said "He only found out about the Centre by pure chance. I tried to use our friendship to talk him out of publishing. Unfortunately, he had Pulitzer Prizes on his mind."

  
  


"So they eliminated him," Jarod said glancing at Parker.

  
  


"Totally Lyle's doing," Miss Parker said "I was chasing you in Cincinnati at the time."

  
  


Jarod nodded, remembering the incident. Sydney released his hand from the speaker.

  
  


"John," Sydney said "It is me. No, I'm not dead fortunately. I missed the fatal flight. Listen, I need you to do me a favour. I want you to check out a minister by the name of Frank Harvey. I want to know if he's received a visit by two people, a woman and a man in the last ten minutes. Minutes, yes. John, it's Rembrandt Brown, the kidnapped singer who's been all over the news."

  
  


Sydney listened for a minute.

  
  


"Be careful, okay," He said "The woman is dangerous. If she is there get in touch with the local police before you get back to me. Do not try and stop her on your own. You can get me at The Dominion Hotel in San Francisco. Have you got the number?"

  
  


Sydney put the phone down

  
  


"He's going to check the church and get back on his mobile if he sees them."

  
  


Miss Parker took out her mobile and opened it

  
  


"What are you doing?" Jarod asked.

  
  


"Arranging for a Helicopter," She said "We're going to need to move quickly."

  
  


Jarod nodded his agreement.

  
  


The Top Of The Dominion Hotel - Fifteen Minutes Later

  
  


The Helicopter landed carefully on the top of the hotel's flat roof. Sydney, Jarod and Miss Parker came out onto the roof to find Lewis waiting for them, she was in the pilot's seat.

  
  


"You're unbelievable," Jarod said as he climbed into the front passenger seat.

  
  


"In the Police Force you're trained to do everything," Lewis said.

  
  


Sydney and Miss Parker, climbing into the back seats, allowed themselves a smirk. They could see that Jarod was becoming attached to the livewire Lewis.

  
  


"There's a squad on its way to Preston Valley now," Lewis said "A team will be flown in from Sacramento and will be there within the hour."

  
  


"Then let's get going," Jarod said.

  
  


The Helicopter lifted up into the air.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Preston Valley - An Hour and a Half Later

  
  


The Helicopter came down in a playing field not far from the church. Whilst Lewis safely switched off the helicopter's engine, Jarod, Miss Parker and Sydney met with a Sacramento based Federal Agent and the local Sheriff.

  
  


"Agent Malone, Agent Parker," The FBI man said "I thought you two were in Miami."

  
  


"We were transferred here once the threat to Rembrandt Brown reemerged," Jarod said "This is Doctor Green, by the way."

  
  


The Federal Agent shook Sydney's hand.

  
  


"What's the situation?" Miss Parker asked.

  
  


"We have a hostage situation," The Sheriff said "I don't know why you asked Mr Douglas to check."

  
  


"Don't say he tried to be 'Superman'?" Sydney said.

  
  


The Sheriff nodded.

  
  


"Straight after he called me, he went in to try and stop the marriage," The Sheriff said "There was gun-fire and we tried to go in to get him out."

  
  


Jarod shook his head in disbelief. Even in his, Miss Parker and Sydney's world, this 'Gung-ho' attitude was predominant. He remembered trying to analyse the attack on David Koresh's encampment at Waco and remembered the almost suicidal frontal assault that lead to the destruction of that camp and the massacre that ensued. He remembered putting forward a recommendation based on the SAS raid on the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980 as a better way of approaching the problem. His argument was that it worked, only the hostage takers and a couple of other people including WPC Yvonne Fletcher died on that occasion. No innocents were killed during the raid itself. Yet, his proposal was dismissed out of hand as being impractical. That started his disillusionment with the Centre and his suspicions about its real aims.

  
  


"How many people were injured?"

  
  


"Two," The Federal Agent said "One of them's still in there with Mr Douglas, The Minister, Mr Brown and the hostage taker."

  
  


"Has she made any demands?"

  
  


"That we allow her and Mr Brown to go on their honeymoon," The Federal Agent said "Jarod, Catherine, this woman is one brick short of a full load. She could do anything."

  
  


"We still play it by the book," Jarod said "Have you tried talking to her?"

  
  


The Sheriff nodded.

  
  


"We talked to Douglas," He said "It was him that gave us her demands."

  
  


"What about Shots?" Miss Parker asked.

  
  


"Deployed," The Federal Agent answered "We have every window covered, every exit is also covered. She's not going anywhere."

  
  


"Could this be another trick?" Lewis asked.

  
  


"Trick?"

  
  


"She pulled the dummy trick to gain access to the Conference Centre and take Rembrandt," Jarod said.

  
  


The Federal Agent scowled. That may have been the oldest trick in the book, but he marvelled about how many times it succeeded.

  
  


"I don't think that's happened this time," Sydney said "She thinks that Rembrandt and her are soul mates and she will not go anywhere without her soul mate."

  
  


Jarod nodded his agreement at that suggestion.

  
  


"Okay, Genius," Miss Parker said "How do we play this?"

  
  


"By ear," Jarod said "Sheriff, have you got a plan of the church?"

  
  


"The town hall should have one, it's a relatively modern church so there must be one on record."

  
  


"Get it here," Jarod said

  
  


The Sheriff left in a hurry in the direction of the Town Hall.

  
  


"Sydney, I'm going to need you to act as negotiator, can you do it?"

  
  


"Of course," Sydney said "I suppose you want me to play for time."

  
  


"As much time as you can get us," Jarod said.

  
  


"Us?" Miss Parker said.

  
  


"Of course, partner," Jarod said "You and I get to play Batman and Robin."

  
  


He smirked at Lewis as he added.

  
  


"Maybe we need a Batgirl as well." 

  
  


The Church - Fifteen Minutes Later

  
  


Once he knew Jarod, Miss Parker and Lewis were in position. Sydney picked up the loud haler. He looked at the Federal Agent beside him who whispered.

  
  


"Remember, we need to keep her talking for long enough to get the team into the church."

  
  


"I know the plan, Agent Bailey," Sydney said.

  
  


He put the Loud-Haler to his lips.

  
  


"Miss Andrea Harvey, can you hear me?"

  
  


Nothing. Sydney frowned and tried again.

  
  


"Miss Harvey, Andrea," He put a softer inflection in his voice "My name is Doctor Sydney Green, I'm an adviser with the Federal Bureau of Investigations. You are aware that this building is completely surrounded. Can we talk to each other, maybe find a way to end this without bloodshed?"

  
  


Again nothing. This was not good.

  
  


"Andrea, may I call you Andrea?" Sydney listened but heard nothing, he continued anyway "Andrea, I'm going to be straight with you, the situation is not good. I can only see two ways out. Firstly, you release the hostages and then come out with your hands up and we arrest you; Secondly, we come in there and we try and take you by force. I don't even want to think of the consequences of the latter option."

  
  


"There is a third," The voice that came out of the church was a male voice.

  
  


"John?"

  
  


"Yes Syd, it's me," The Voice, John Douglas said "She won't speak to you."

  
  


"Why?"

  
  


"Because she thinks you're trying to steal Rembrandt away from her, she's besotted with him and she would rather die than to be without him."

  
  


Sydney frowned and cursed at the same time. The Federal Agent motioned for him to keep going.

  
  


"Tell her that it would be better with we negotiated with her personally," Sydney said "That way she can tell us how we can end this."

  
  


"She already has, Syd," Douglas said "She wants to leave with Rembrandt Brown in an unmarked car."

  
  


"I can't allow that, John," Sydney said "We cannot allow her to take a hostage out of that church."

  
  


"Then there is nothing to talk about," Douglas said "She wants to go with her new husband on a honeymoon and nothing else will do."

  
  


"Has the marriage taken place?"

  
  


"Yes!"

  
  


"Was Rembrandt coerced to accede to the marriage?"

  
  


"It's still a legal union," Douglas said "There were two witness, myself and a Junior Pastor."

  
  


The Back of the Church

  
  


Jarod, Lewis and Miss Parker reached the back door to the Vestry and forced the door open as quietly as they possibly could. Two Shots followed placing themselves to each side of the door. 

  
  


"If you have a clear shot, take it," Jarod ordered.

  
  


The taller of the two shots, a man in his early thirties, nodded his understanding. Jarod, Miss Parker and Lewis entered with weapons drawn and moved swiftly down the corridor towards a connection door to the church itself. They positioned themselves ready to enter. Jarod prised the door open and saw that it lead to the pulpit. He could also see the black woman hovering around the front of the pulpit with a gun in her hand with a black minister and Rembrandt handcuffed to a railing in front of the pulpit.

  
  


"Damn," Jarod whispered "They're tethered."

  
  


"Then we may have to take her out," Miss Parker said.

  
  


"I'd rather avoid that," Jarod said "We're dealing with a woman who needs psychiatric help."

  
  


"In this society?" Lewis said.

  
  


"Meaning?" Miss Parker pressed.

  
  


"We don't have the resources," Lewis said "It'll a couple of therapy sessions and out on the street."

  
  


Jarod scowled. He remembered reading that was what they did to this woman before. 

  
  


"I still don't want her killed," Jarod said.

  
  


"Unless there's no choice," Miss Parker added.

  
  


Jarod sighed and nodded his agreement. He could hear Sydney's voice again and strained to listen.

  
  


Outside The Church

  
  


Sydney had spent the last minute rethinking his strategy. He knew that he may have to concede some ground if he was going to prevent a bloodbath.

  
  


"Andrea," Sydney said "What if we let you leave here alone?"

  
  


The Federal Agent glared at him. Sydney put down the Loud-Haler.

  
  


"I know what I'm doing," He hissed.

  
  


"I hope so," The Federal Agent said.

  
  


"Andrea," Sydney continued "This is my offer. You leave the hostages behind and you can leave. Nobody will try to stop you. You can go anywhere you want."

  
  


"Anywhere?" Douglas asked.

  
  


"Precisely, all that we ask is she lets Rembrandt and the other hostages go. John, try and convince her that's the best I can offer her."

  
  


"Do you have the power to do that?"

  
  


Sydney looked at the Federal Agent who continued his glare but nodded his agreement.

  
  


"Yes I do. Tell her this is a once only offer. It will not be offered again."

  
  


"I'll try."

  
  


The Door Leading to the Pulpit

  
  


Jarod could see the man Sydney knew as Douglas approach the woman and draw her to one side. He could see that they were having a heated argument, presumably over what Sydney had just offered, the gist of it he had just caught. He knew Sydney well enough to know that he would rather that this ended peacefully, without bloodshed. So did Jarod. However, on devising this strategy, they knew it probably wouldn't work. They were hoping that at the very least it would buy them time to force the woman's surrender another way.

  
  


"I don't think she's buying the plan," Miss Parker said.

  
  


Watching the argument getting even more heated, Jarod was becoming convinced that Miss Parker was right.

  
  


"Get ready to move," Jarod said.

  
  


Jarod and Miss Parker saw the woman point the weapon at Douglas's head ready to pull the trigger.

  
  


"Andrea, no," Rembrandt shouted "Mr Douglas, tell them I'll go with her."

  
  


"Now!" Jarod said.

  
  


He kicked the door in and charged in with Miss Parker and Lewis behind him.

  
  


"Armed Federal Agent," Jarod said 

  
  


He kept his body in between Miss Parker and Lewis who managed to scamper to the safety of behind the pulpit. As predicted the woman used the nearest person, Douglas, as a shield. Also as predicted she moved Douglas towards her real goal, Rembrandt. That was why Miss Parker and Lewis was behind the pulpit.

  
  


"It's over, Andrea, you've nowhere to go," Jarod said "Give it up."

  
  


"All I want to is to go on honeymoon with my husband," the woman wailed "Is that so much to ask."

  
  


"I'm happy to go with her, man," Rembrandt said "Nobody need get hurt."

  
  


Jarod could see that she was almost to the pulpit. He mentally counted down to the time when Sydney was timed to use the Loud-Haler again. On one he heard Sydney call.

  
  


"Miss Harvey, it's Doctor Green, have you made your decision?"

  
  


Jarod levelled his weapon at the now very frightened woman.

  
  


"This can end right now without any bloodshed," Jarod said "All you have to do is to leave everybody with me and walk out the door."

  
  


"Andrea," Her Brother got to his feet "Listen to the man, you've been given a chance to leave, you can be free to go wherever you want."

  
  


"I'm not leaving without Rembrandt."

  
  


"That's not the way this will end, Andrea," Jarod said "If you try to take Rembrandt, either I will take you out or they will outside. Leave him here and you will leave here a free woman."

  
  


He could now see Miss Parker directly behind the woman, waiting for his signal. Her face was imploring him to give the signal.

  
  


"If you want a hostage, take me," Her Brother said "They will agree to that, won't they Agent?"

  
  


"I'll make them agree," Jarod said "As Doctor Green said, this is your one and only chance."

  
  


The woman suddenly left Douglas and grabbed Rembrandt. She undid his handcuffs and got him to his feet. As she did, Jarod signalled to Miss Parker and saw her and Lewis move behind the woman.

  
  


"I'm taking Rembrandt with me," She said "Tell them to back off."

  
  


"Sorry," Miss Parker said "Can't let you do that."

  
  


She pulled the woman off Rembrandt and landed a haymaker to the woman's jaw. As the woman tried to recover, Miss Parker and Lewis had her covered with their weapons. Jarod grabbed Rembrandt and pulled him out of harms way. The woman levelled her gun at Miss Parker.

  
  


"Put the weapon down," Miss Parker said slowly, tightening the grip on the trigger as she did so.

  
  


The woman looked at Parker, Lewis, Jarod, her Brother and finally Rembrandt.

  
  


"I love you, Rembrandt."

  
  


She turned the gun on herself and opened fire. 

  
  


"No!" Her Brother shouted.

  
  


At that moment the door burst open and the Federal Agent, Sydney and several police officers came in. They saw The Minister reaching his sister and hug her blood-stained body.

Rembrandt got up and joined the Minister just as Miss Parker managed to get the weapon out of the dead woman's hand.

  
  


"I'm sorry, Man," Rembrandt said.

  
  


"All she wanted to do was to be loved," The Minister said.

  
  


He rocked his dead sister. Rembrandt allowed Jarod to pull him away from the scene. They were followed by Sydney and Miss Parker. The Federal clean up squad moved in to clean up the mess.

  
  


The Dominion Hotel - Twenty Four Hours Later

  
  


Rembrandt came out from the bathroom and looked at his manager and the contest organiser who had come to find out exactly how he was feeling. He looked at Jarod and Sydney sitting on a couch and Miss Parker standing in the corner of the room. He could certainly feel the sympathy emanating from Sydney and Jarod. Miss Parker, he wasn't sure of. There was something about her that he didn't like. Maybe given time, he could trust her, but, at the moment he needed something from her to believe in.

  
  


"How do you feel, Remmy?" His Manager asked.

  
  


"I've been better," Rembrandt said "However, if you're concerned that I'm going to pull out, you know that I can't. I'm representing the United States. I can't let the country down."

  
  


"You sure, Rembrandt?" Jarod said "You've had quite an experience. The country will understand if you took a back seat."

  
  


Rembrandt shook his head.

  
  


"I need to do this," He said "I need to show the world that Rembrandt Brown doesn't run away when the going gets tough."

  
  


He looked at the contest organiser.

  
  


"When's the next rehearsal?"

  
  


"Nine O'clock tomorrow morning," The Contest Organiser said "We can't do it tonight because of the second semi final."

  
  


"I'll be there."

  
  


His Manager patted Rembrandt on the back.

  
  


"Tim, if you don't mind," Rembrandt said to his manager "I need to speak to my friends."

  
  


The manager looked at Jarod, Sydney and Miss Parker and ushered the Contest Organiser out of the room.

  
  


"When do we slide?"

  
  


Jarod took out the timer and looked at the time counting down.

  
  


"Three days and change," Jarod said "We'll be leaving after the contest on Saturday."

  
  


"And it will take me home?"

  
  


"To be honest," Jarod said "I don't know, we had to slide prematurely without setting perimeters."

  
  


"Which means you'll be lost?"

  
  


"I'm afraid so, Rembrandt," Sydney said "We have to go on, you don't have to. Whatever happens on Saturday, you will have it made. You'll have a career and a future."

  
  


"And constant pressure," Miss Parker said "God knows how many Andrea Harvey's are out there. This Earth has a mental care system that is an open invitation for trouble."

  
  


Rembrandt looked at Miss Parker again and saw a glimmer of light that he could hang onto. At that moment, she was showing that she cared. However, the slight look of surprise on Jarod's face suggested that it was unusual.

  
  


"It's up to you," Jarod said.

  
  


Rembrandt smiled.

  
  


"I've already made my mind up," He said "I must go with you. If we don't return to Earth Prime. I need to find Wade and Maggie and I need to know what really happened to Q Ball and Logan St Clair."

  
  


He held out a hand. Jarod, understanding the meaning, put his hand on Rembrandt's hand as did Sydney. To Jarod and Rembrandt's surprise, Miss Parker came from her corner and placed her hand on the pile of hands.

  
  


"Thank you," Rembrandt said "All of you."

  
  


Jarod and Sydney smiled. Rembrandt looked at Miss Parker and saw the crack of a smile on her dour face as well.

  
  


San Francisco Conference Centre - Two and a Half Days Later

  
  


Rembrandt looked at the audience from behind the curtains and shook his hands in nervous anticipation. Jarod and Miss Parker, acting as his bodyguards, came along side and watched as the Swedish entry came to an end.

  
  


"Where's the Doc?" Rembrandt asked.

  
  


"Out front," Jarod said "Officer Lewis managed to find him a seat in the VIP section."

  
  


Rembrandt looked knowingly at Jarod.

  
  


"It doesn't pay to get involved with the locals," Rembrandt said "I've learned that one to my cost on many slides."

  
  


"Are you and Miss Parker conspiring with each other?" Jarod said.

  
  


"Lab Rat, we don't need to conspire with each other to know that piece of advice is right," Miss Parker said.

  
  


"It's a harmless piece of flirtation," Jarod said "That's all."

  
  


"It may be harmless in this world," Rembrandt said "But she could be a psychopathic killer in the next."

  
  


"Then what would you do?" Miss Parker finished.

  
  


"Okay, you've made your point," Jarod said.

  
  


Rembrandt's manager came from their left.

  
  


"Remmy, you ready," He said "You're up next song."

  
  


"Ready as I'll ever be," Rembrandt said.

  
  


Jarod and Rembrandt touched fists.

  
  


"Rembrandt!" Miss Parker said.

  
  


"Yes, Sweetheart," He said.

  
  


"Break a leg," She said.

  
  


Rembrandt smiled and went with his Manager towards the stage.

  
  


"Oh, Rembrandt!"

  
  


Rembrandt stopped and faced Miss Parker.

  
  


"If you call me 'Sweetheart' again, I will break your leg."

  
  


Rembrandt looked at her and laughed. He then continued along the corridor towards the entrance to the stage. Lewis joined Miss Parker and Jarod.

  
  


"You're off after this," Lewis asked.

  
  


"Afraid so," Jarod said with a hint of regret "We probably won't be this way again."

Lewis smiled sadly.

  
  


"We will have a drink before you leave," Lewis said "I would like to say that I had a drink with the 'Batman and Robin' of the FBI."

  
  


"Both of us?" Miss Parker said.

  
  


"Of course," Lewis said "You didn't think I was attracted to 'Batman' alone did you."

  
  


Jarod turned his face aware of Parker's discomfort. He was also trying to stop himself from laughing, especially as he knew that would piss Miss Parker off even more.

  
  


"You have a deal," Miss Parker said "We have to leave at about Half Past Ten, so how about that drink during the voting. Say Nine."

  
  


"That'll be great," Lewis said "I'll meet you both in the Centre Bar."

  
  


Lewis almost skipped away. Jarod saw the victorious look on Parker's face and couldn't contain his laughter any more.

  
  


"Sometimes, Parker, you surprise me," He said.

  
  


Miss Parker glared at him, turning Jarod's laughter into an uncontainable fit. He managed to get it under control when he saw Rembrandt come onto stage with his backing singers to be miked up. Suddenly, the travelogue that accompanied the songs had finished and Rembrandt and the American conductor was being announced. To the screaming adoration of 'Crying Man' fans, the orchestra started up and Rembrandt began his song.

  
  


The Centre Bar - Nine O'clock pm

  
  


Jarod and Miss Parker entered and saw Lewis at the bar. They also saw a television close up of Rembrandt looking anxious in the Green Room and Sydney not far behind him, chatting in his ear. The Presenter, a famous actress from a popular action series, began the process of going to each voting country and getting the final votes from their telephone votes. As the process began Parker and Jarod joined Lewis.

  
  


"Rob," Lewis said to the Bartender "A couple of beers here."

  
  


The Bartender smiled and poured to very frothy beers and placed them in front of Jarod and Miss Parker. Lewis paid the man.

  
  


"Rembrandt did well," Lewis said.

  
  


"Not really my cup of tea," Jarod admitted.

  
  


"But he sang well," Miss Parker finished.

  
  


Jarod nodded his agreement. He noted that the first jury had just finished. Rembrandt had got eight points, with the top marks going to the United Kingdom entry which Jarod privately quite liked and had voted for, as he knew did Parker. He took a sip of his beer and continued watching the voting.

  
  


"So where next?" Lewis asked.

  
  


"Where the job takes us," Parker said "It could be anywhere."

  
  


Jarod glanced ironically at Parker, aware that she knew what she had just said. She had finally accepted that she may not be going home too soon.

  
  


"So there will be no chance of the three of us getting together anytime soon?" Lewis asked.

  
  


"I doubt it," Jarod said.

  
  


"That's a pity," Lewis said "I liked being 'Batgirl' to your 'Batman and Robin'."

  
  


"Well," Jarod smiled "Never say never."

  
  


On the television, Rembrandt had got his first top marks which sent the bar and the audience mad with delight.

  
  


The Green Room - An Hour Later

  
  


Rembrandt was now a nervous wreck. It was neck and neck between three songs: His song, the Australian song and the song from the United Kingdom with two juries to go. He could sense that Jarod and Parker had now joined Sydney behind him and was feeling a set of fingers massage his shoulders. He looked up and saw that it was Miss Parker.

  
  


"Thanks Sweet...." Rembrandt smiled "Parker."

  
  


The United States jury had just began its voting and had given it's first point to Israel.

  
  


"Who did you two vote for?"

  
  


"We would have voted for you if we'd been allowed to," Jarod said diplomatically.

  
  


"As you couldn't, who did you vote for?"

  
  


"Does it matter, Rembrandt?" Sydney asked.

  
  


"It might if I'm going to be sliding with you guys," Rembrandt said.

  
  


The second point had gone to Spain, and the third point had gone to the Brazilian entry, an up-tempo samba number.

  
  


"I'm not going to lie," Jarod said "I voted for the United Kingdom."

  
  


Rembrandt looked at Parker who shrugged apologetically. 

  
  


"Doc?"

  
  


"I didn't vote," He said.

  
  


"Come on," Rembrandt said "I saw you use your cell phone."

  
  


Sydney smiled and saw that the next points went to the German entry.

  
  


"It's only a competition, Rembrandt," Sydney said.

  
  


Rembrandt smiled nervously.

  
  


"Yeah man, it's only a competition," He said.

  
  


The next points went to one of the main competition, Australia, which only put them a point ahead of the United States. Rembrandt placed a hand on Jarod's and started to chant a prayer. The next points went to a strange one, the punk rock entry from Canada.

  
  


"You are kidding me!" Rembrandt said "Were they all drunk!"

  
  


"Probably," Jarod said.

  
  


"It is the in-thing," Sydney said "It didn't entirely surprise me."

  
  


Rembrandt looked at Sydney suspiciously.

  
  


"You didn't vote for that, didn't you?"

  
  


"How long do we slide, Jarod?" Sydney asked.

  
  


"Twenty minutes," Jarod said.

  
  


Rembrandt and now Miss Parker was looking at Sydney in shock.

  
  


"Tell me, you didn't vote for Canada," Rembrandt said. 

  
  


"The ten points have gone to South Africa," Sydney said evasively

  
  


"Sydney?" Jarod pressed "You did didn't you?"

  
  


Sydney held his finger to his lips and pointed to the screen. The American vote announcer made a slight, theatrical pause before announcing:

  
  


"The Twelve points go to the United Kingdom."

  
  


Rembrandt's heart sunk, that put the UK ten points clear with only one vote left. The only way that Rembrandt could win was if he got twelve from the Spanish jury, the last jury whilst the UK only got one or preferably, nothing. Rembrandt got to his feet.

  
  


"Come on, Guys," He said "It's time that we left."

  
  


"You sure," Sydney said "You still can win."

  
  


Rembrandt shook his head.

  
  


"As you said, Doc, it's only a competition."

  
  


Jarod put his arm around Rembrandt. The four of them headed out of the Green Room. Rembrandt's manager approached them.

  
  


"Where are you going, Rembrandt?"

  
  


"We've lost, Tim," He said "It's over."

  
  


Jarod and Miss Parker stopped the manager from preventing Rembrandt from leaving and then followed Sydney and Rembrandt out the Centre's back door. As they walked towards the park, they stopped in front of a television store and saw that one of the televisions was on and was showing the contest. They could see that the UK had only got two points, but, it was enough for victory because Australia had got seven. The picture switched to see the UK delegation going mad.

  
  


"Bad luck, Rembrandt," Jarod said.

  
  


"Yeah!" Rembrandt said "Easy come, easy go."

  
  


They were about to leave when Parker stopped them.

  
  


"What is it girl?" Rembrandt asked.

  
  


"I want to know who got the twelve, if it's all right with you."

  
  


Jarod looked at the timer and nodded. The picture showed ten points going to the Canadian entry and finally the twelve points going to Rembrandt. He had lost by one point. Rembrandt shrugged.

  
  


"Come on, let's get out of here," He said.

  
  


THE END

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
